JNUSU polls: Counting starts after 12 hours of disruption
New Delhi, Sep 15 : The counting for Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) polls started on Saturday evening after more than 12 hours of interruption, caused by some people belonging to a political group contending for the top posts who had barged into the counting centre.
The Election Committee (EC) assigned the task of conducting polls said the counting resumed after the Grievance Redressal Committee appointed an observer -- who happens to be a JNU Professor -- to be present during the counting.
Earlier, the counting was stopped at around 4 a.m on Saturday when some Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists insisted on entering the counting centre and a demanded a recounting of votes, accusing the EC of colluding with the Left groups and keeping them deliberately out.
The EC in its turn said that announcements were made for the candidates' agents to join the counting at the centre as per rules, but they cannot join the process once the ballot box seals are broken.
The polling for the annual union elections was held on Friday in which nearly 70 per cent students exercised their franchise to elect their President, Vice President, General Secretary and Joint Secretary.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
